


Tread Carefully

by katajainen



Series: February Ficlet Challenge 2018 [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Animal Transformation, Crack, Gen, Humour, Isengard, No beta - provided as is, The Three Hunters, This must be the silliest thing I've ever written send help, accidental magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13570884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katajainen/pseuds/katajainen
Summary: Even broken and flooded with water, the circle of Isengard has many traps for the unwary. Legolas steps into one with unexpected consequences.





	Tread Carefully

**Author's Note:**

> For the February Ficlet Challenge 2018, day 3, prompt: Character A is turned into a cat or dog.

‘Walk warily,’ said Merry as they walked towards the tower at the center of the circle of Isengard, now surrounded by water and debris. ‘There are loose slabs that may tilt up and throw you down into a pit, if you don’t take care.’

And so they all watched their step – right up until the moment when the dark orb of crystal came hurtling down from the tower window. Both Legolas and Pippin made to catch it, but where Pippin ran light-footed over the treacherous ground, Legolas got but a few steps away from the tower stairs before he vanished with a yelp into a puff of smoke, arms wheeling as if the ground had given way beneath his feet.

There was a confused moment amidst the slowly dissipating smoke when there was a noise like an animal yowling in distress, then a loud hiss, followed by a long string  of curses in Aragorn’s voice.

‘Here, my lad, I’ll take care of that,’ said Gandalf sharply, took the strange missile from Pippin, and hid it in the folds of his cloak. Then he looked up, eyes narrowing beneath bushy brows. ‘Where is Legolas?’

‘Here,’ replied Aragorn in a somewhat strained voice. ‘I think.’

He was standing very still and very straight, and the reason was clear: on his shoulder perched a bedraggled golden-brown cat, its ears flat against its head and its back arched, blue eyes wide and round.

‘What in all the–’ Gimli burst out, then started to laugh heartily. ‘Such a sight you make!’

‘I doubt you would look any finer, had someone with fishing hooks for nails mistaken you for a tree to climb!’

‘Oh I do doubt any nails would get past this–’ the dwarf gave a solid thump at the coat of mail covering his arms– ‘but you can’t fault him from trying to get away from the water.’

‘I suppose not– and I am quite a bit higher from the ground– or water– than you.’

‘High or low from the water, he’s been struck by some ill-placed prank of Saruman’s. Let me have a look.’ The wizard stepped closer and studied the cat – Legolas – for a long moment in silence. ‘He is lucky at least,’ he concluded, ‘that the spell did not work at its full strength. I have no doubt the intent was to turn the subject into something much more unpleasant than a simple housecat.’

At that, the aforementioned cat seemed to settle somewhat, and its ears pricked up with curiosity.

‘Pleasant or not, I’m sure he would know if the change is a lasting one,’ said Aragorn. 

‘Such transformations are highly unstable at best. So he need but wait for the spell to run its course.’

‘And how long would that be?’

‘Perhaps a day, two at the most.’

‘That is still a long time to spend in a wrong shape. Can you truly do nothing to aid him?’ demanded Gimli in turn.

‘Not without spending much time and effort in an attempt of dubious benefit. Else you wish to go and beg advice from the one who set the trap in the first place, time is the surest remedy.’

As Gimli, or anyone else, had no desire to consult further with Saruman, they set out to leave Isengard as previously planned. The current situation, however, necessitated some changes in the riding arrangements.

‘Three hunters on one horse,’ Gimli quipped once they had settled the matter. ‘Surely the Riddermark has never seen the like!’

‘If it has, I have not heard of such!’ replied Éomer riding beside them. ‘It deserves to be put into a song.’

Gimli made to reply, but was cut short when Legolas suddenly decided to abandon Aragorn’s shoulder for a wider perch.

‘Get that tail off my face– can’t you stay still, you impossible creature!’

The cat, of course, did no such thing before settling in a satisfyingly comfortable position, draped over the dwarf’s shoulders like a golden fur collar.

‘Now what were you saying on the subject of songs, Master Dwarf?’

‘The less said about them, the better,’ Gimli replied to the smirking Éomer, and the cat on his shoulders flicked its tail disapprovingly.

They rode the rest of the way with somewhat less teasing, but at the end of the day, Legolas remained still in his four-legged shape.

Later in the night, Aragorn returned from a turn in the watch to find his fellow hunters in an unusual sleeping arrangement.

‘You do know he won’t appreciate finding you there when he wakes,’ he remarked to Legolas.

The cat lifted its head, fixed Aragorn with a long, uninterested look, and nestled itself more comfortably on Gimli’s chest, tucking its nose into the dwarf’s beard.

‘On your head be it, then,’ the ranger conceded and lay down himself for a few more hours of rest.

Come dawn, it was discovered throughout the camp that loud dwarvish cursing was apparently an effective remedy against Saruman’s brand of animal transformation.


End file.
